EMERYVILLE, Calif., May 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkeley Lights, Inc. (BLI) today announced the appointment of Dr. James E. Rothman, Nobel laureate and Chair of the Department of Cell Biology at Yale University School of Medicine, to the Berkeley Lights' board of directors.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome Dr. Rothman to the Board," said Michael Marks, Chairman of the Berkeley Lights Board of Directors. "Jim's world-recognized expertise in cell biology, combined with his industry experience, make him an incredible mentor and guide for our strategic roadmap."

Dr. Rothman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2013 for his work on vesicle trafficking and the 2010 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience for "discovering the molecular basis of neurotransmitter release." Previously, he served as Chief Scientist of General Electric's Healthcare division and has advised numerous major pharmaceutical companies at senior levels. Currently, he advises GlaxoSmithKline and General Electric.

"I am delighted to work with Berkeley Lights because I am deeply impressed by their unique and powerful technology platform for automated large scale manipulation of cells, with broad life science applications including the manufacture of autologous cellular therapies," said Dr. Rothman.

About Berkeley Lights

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Emeryville, CA, Berkeley Lights, Inc. has developed technology, platforms and devices that enable opto-nanofluidic biomedical engineering with the highest level of integration. Berkeley Lights' core belief is that biomedical challenges yield to world-class engineering, and is applying its capabilities to address unmet research needs in BioPharma, Cellular Immuno-Oncology, and Autologous T-cell Therapies. The companies integrated systems transform complex, multi-step workflows involving a wide variety of cells and assays into precise, repeatable, quality-controlled, walk-away operations. For more information, visit http://www.berkeleylights.com/ and follow @Berkeley_Lights on Twitter or on our LinkedIn page.